When we look at the future of the coffee industry and take into account the challenges ahead, e.g. lower than usual supply, inflation, logistical issues, labour shortages, etc., it's easy to think that there's a lot of doom and gloom ahead. In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD we're exploring an alternative perspective and how you and the stakeholders in your value chain (including your customers) could benefit from the challenges ahead.

With labour shortages arguably here to stay in the hospitality industry, could automation be a valid solution for all the challenges that come with not being able to find staff? Let's deep dive into that in this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD.

Traditionally when we think of coffee consultants we think of how they might advise a cafe owner or a roasting company. There are opportunities to re-purpose your skills as a coffee professional inside and outside of the coffee industry if you're prepared to be creative and do the work to build something that could be valuable to many. Find out more in this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro or consider joining our next coffee consultant's 6-week workshop at https://mapitforward.org/coffeeconsultantmastermind.

As we enter into the final quarter of 2021, there are three main factors that I believe will most shape the landscape - 1. The pandemic 2. Logistics, and 3. The global economy. None of these are new variables to have played a role in shaping 2021 however all are lining up to become more major disruptors at this stage of the year than has been anticipated.

A recent email to come to the podcast included the question "Why aren't women's groups in coffee considered sexist, but if an all men's group got together it would be considered sexist?". In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD we take a look at some ways to break down and explore this question.

Recently we received an email that asked two questions, one of which was "Please explain why I have to use these weird gender pronouns with made-up words". I am not an expert on the subject but I will happily share my thoughts on the subject as best as I can in this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD available on podcast listening apps and our Youtube channel.

MAP IT FORWARD is proud to present our largest event for 2021, the Global Coffee Townhall - and open forum discussion in 4 different languages across 4 different events. All discussions will be unified around one question - "What needs to change in the coffee industry in 2021 and beyond. For details, you can head to https://mapitforward.org/globalcoffeetownhall and pre-register for the event. More details coming very shortly on our mailing list, and socials on @imapitforward and @mapitforwardmiddleeast

In this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD we're exploring the unintended consequences of the pressures being placed on hospitality venues to police vaccine passports for their potential customers and how this puts our industry in the middle of situations we haven't asked to be responsible for policing.

The terms "fake coffee" and "infused coffee" have been thrown around to describe green coffees where fruit and spices have been added to the fermentation tanks as food sources during coffee production. These are coffees are rapidly growing in popularity to consumers who are happy to pay higher prices for them over their usual coffees simply because they're more interesting. Recent conversations in the industry have hijacked that narrative to make it about the use of these coffees in competitions. Let's resist the urge to allow that to happen and think independently about the benefits of championing these coffees in the market and offering them to our customers.

Having just come to the end of our winter in the southern hemisphere, I can tell you that, thanks to the Delta Variant of the COVID-19 virus, this has been a brutal season for small business owners. The summer that preceded it was pretty glorious - everything was open, cafes and roasters were doing well, and Australia was predominantly COVID-free. For those of our friends in the northern hemisphere coming into Autumn/fall...are you preparing your businesses to adapt to the potential for rapid changes that may be caused by COVID over the coming winter? How are you differentiating yourself to have a unique selling proposition to keep your customers engaged? Check out this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro for tips.

Latte art is a lot of fun! So are the gatherings that happen in our industry around latte art. Recently I got asked a question that has been ringing in my head for years so when someone else asked it I thought it was time to talk about it. "Why when we hold a latte art throwdown it's a packed event but when we hold educational events or talks with producers only a tiny fraction of those people show up?". Let's explore what happens when an industry focuses most of its socialising around these events, ignores other events, and what happens when all the events are taken away (e.g. if a pandemic were to happen).

So much is changing all at once in the world. Problems from 24 months ago that you thought you could ignore in your business or profession in the coffee industry continue to get magnified and are calling you to finally address them. The solutions to those challenges have now changed because the landscape of the industry (and the world) has changed. Businesses that fail to adapt where it makes sense run the risk of not surviving these tumultuous times.

How many people do you meaningfully connect with and learn from outside of the section of the coffee supply chain that you participate in? Check out this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro to find out why more than ever, this could be an influencing factor of your success as a business or professional in the coffee industry.

Recently on The MAP IT FORWARD Podcast, Melissa Flores from Tijuana, Mexico hosted a conversation with Yarismeth Barrientos from Mexico City in Spanish (https://mapitforward.org/podcasts/142-yarismeth-barrientos). The conversation was super insightful and highlighted the common challenges experienced by cafe owners and baristas across the world. In the flow of the discussion though there was a question that Yarismeth brought to the discussion that I'd never heard discussed in the public domain in our industry. A question that should become the benchmark for a business's employee success planning over time. Check out this episode of The Daily Coffee Pro by MAP IT FORWARD to find out what it is.